The present invention relates to waste containers, and more particularly to waste containers including grab bars.
Wheeled waste carts and other waste containers are well known and are commonly used in residential areas. The bags of waste that a resident accumulates throughout a given week are typically stored in a waste cart. On a scheduled day, the resident wheels the cart to the curb for pickup by a waste truck so that the contents of the waste cart can be dumped into the truck. The dumping may occur manually or using machinery on the truck that is adapted to automatically lift the waste cart, turn the cart over and dump its contents into the truck. On some trucks, the machinery includes arms that grasp the sides of the cart. On other trucks, the machinery includes a lifting plate with a catch mechanism on the upper face of the plate that interfits with a lift pocket, bar, or other lifting structure on the cart. Typically, below the lifting structure on a waste cart is a bar, generally called a grab bar. The grab bar is latched onto by hooks extending out of the face of the lifting plate. The hooks latch onto the grab bar to keep the waste cart from following the waste into the truck when tipped into the truck.
The grab bar is typically made of metal, fiberglass or plastic. The bar extends through openings in two wall portions of the cart. To prevent the ends of the bar from sliding back through either of the openings, the bar is typically long enough so that the ends of the bar reach or nearly reach the inner surfaces of the sides of the cart.
Alternatively, and especially with shorter bars, retainer pins and/or clips can be used to secure the grab bars within the cart. The pins and clips can be secured to the bar after the ends of the bar have been inserted through the openings in the cart. Because the clips and pins prevent the ends of the bar from sliding back through the openings, the bar can be shorter.